eBay Auctions!

Well folks, as soon as my current Auctions end on eBay, I am done with it! I have lost well over $400 on the coins that I have sold on there in the past two weeks. When you combine those kind of losses with the eBay and PayPal fees, something has to give.

Anybody else have a great two weeks like mine?


Frank

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

I'm so sorry to hear that, Frank.


I seen that sales were wacky lately.
That is why I've held off trying to move some stuff.
Junk is selling high, while nice coins are going for bottom dollar.
It's hard for a fellow to make an honest living, or at least support his habit, anymore.

I figure things may straighten out around the 2nd week of Feb.
At least I hope so.

 

Must explain why I am paying low prices for mint and proof sets on eBay....

 

Sounds like your my stock broker.. Buy High sell Low. : )

 

What are you doing wrong? Post a link to one and we can take a look.

 

Man, I am sorry to hear that man. Ebay is getting pretty ridiculous, why I prefer coinbug. Just me though. Sorry to hear about your losses though.

Phoenix

 

He can't put a link to his auctions, so i'll do it for him. http://myworld.ebay.com/huntsman532ukm/

 

i like Ebay as a buyer.. hate it as a seller. i dont use coinbug like Phoenix mentioned, but might check it out.

as far as prices go, i think Ebay cares too much for appeasing their investors then their customers. Doug might get upset about my complaining about their high fees but unlike the other auction houses, Ebay has millions of sales a minute closing!!! or pretty dang close to it. With their high fees they make a KILLING in profits. And im sorry, but they have VERY little overhead compared to the profits they make. So the ONLY thing they are doing by raising fees is apeasing stockholders and to drive up stock prices! eventually, instead of seeing their customer base climbing, they will see it fall until it reaches a point of equalibrium. I for one dont think i will be doing much selling on Ebay!

 

Frank - I like that Eagle - Let see if I will add to my christmas list . BTW - I agree that it must be hard for a seller to make any money between the fees and the current buying trends. I am sorry to hear you and others that do a good job listing products properly cannot survive on eBay. So many others list crap with poor pictures that seem to sell for unreasonable amounts, it doesn't make sense.

 

Why, or how could anyone lose money on Ebay? If I were affraid of losing that much, I'd sure be using the reserve feature. Even if they don't sell, you're not in the hole. Just my opinion anyways.
Guy~

 

While I understand the comment and don't necessarily disagree, I have noticed that reserves and high starting amounts tend to discourage bids. Just an observation and not necessarily true in all cases. If auctions close and you have not met your reserve you are still out the listing fees which is better than losing anything as a result of poor bidding - I guess.?.

 

Sadly, auctions of expensive coins that start at $1.00 without a reserve is like playing Russion Roulette. Reserve prices are our saftey net, our break even amounts. If the reserve is met, at least we know we won't lose our shirt.

Sure, I might list a raw ASE unreserved, chances are, I should get melt for it but for items over $50.00 the risk is just to great for me personally.

What would you rather have happen?
Sell the coin for a severe loss or have it not sell and have to pay ebay fees. Personally, I prefer ebay fees. Somewhere down the line you will get an anxious overpayer and it will all balance out. I love overpayers.

Sorry for your loss.

 

Yes, they are and God Bless them for it !!!!

I've been buying ebay stock since 1999 and I love it. I believe in them enough to invest in their vision and I also use the compnay to provide for food and shelter. I can't think of another company that I would rather support at the moment.

If people couldn't complain about rising prices (of anything) what would there be to talk about? Sure people leave ebay everyday for one reason or another but for every one that leaves, another one signs up.

Where else in the world can a family in rural Montana of minimal means have the equivelent of a yard sale and reach a worldwide market instantly?

Nowhere else.

Your business sense is very astute.

 

I can certainly agree. In my auctions, the junk half dime went for $13 and the AU Morgan went for only $33!

 

I agree with this. So this is not about huntsman53 auctions, but how I approach Ebay auctions. When I look at auctions with accurate grading and a respectable reserve. If an AU coin can be had on heritage for $30, don't set your starting reserve at $50. I will skip that auction - and if a reserve of $30 does not meet your requirements for profit or break even point, maybe you should not be selling the coin. I do not win many auctions so I am suprised anyone loses money on ebay. My losing bid list is always longer than my won list. It seems like once I determine the grade and what I will pay, then I bid. I lose almost all of these auctions. As a matter of fact 5 of my last 6 auctions were won at the starting reserve price and the 6th was a BIN. I did snipe the 2 auctions before that.

 

Doug,

Wising up to what? To the scammers that soak hundreds if not thousands of decent folks on eBay every week! Well, what about the decent and honest Sellers on eBay that don't sell trash? I try to sell some decent coins to get some extra cash for Christmas and I take a beating! Yeah I screwed up and should have put a Reserve Price on the coins. When is it right that a 1913-D "Type II" Buffalo Nickel that is at least F-12 condition and worth around $150 or more only sell for $62 and it even had a 15% Rotated Reverse that I did not even note in the Auction. After recalculating my losses and adding in the eBay and PayPal fees, I am actually over $500 in the hole and I still have 4 Auctions to go!


Frank

 

Also that 1909 S/S cent sold way low too, got VG price for a VF-25 coin. It's a shame when things like that happen, best of luck with your other auctions man, hopefully you should do better. :thumb:

Phoenix

 

Andrew,

Since you are a Stockholder in eBay, why not suggest that eBay lower either their' fees and/or the PayPal fees...especially for Sellers that receive payments for Auction items? Oh I forgot, based on your statement, you could care less as long as they are making money for you and other Stockholders. What's that old saying, isn't it "Screw the little guy and to Hell with the rest"! Why don't you tell that line to the folks in this Country that are losing their' jobs or the ones losing their' homes or the folks living on the streets in cardboard boxes or the folks that won't be able to buy anything for the children this Christmas...much less feed and clothe them.

When folks finally wise-up and realize that there are cheaper sites, sites that do not charge at all and that there other ways to sell their' items, there won't be another person signing up when one leaves! Maybe one for every 10 or 20 that leaves! Well, eBay has become too big for it's own britches and they are digging their' own grave. If eBay's' Stock someday plummets and every Stockholder losses their' A%^##@, eBay and the Stockholders have no one else to blame but themselves!


Frank